Author: Maive Stokes
Author: Maive Stokes (1866–1961)
Alternate Name(s): Mary Susan Harriett Stokes (legal name); Boothby (married name)
Biography: Mary Susan Harriett Stokes was born on 20 November 1866 in Simla, India, the daughter of jurist and Celtic scholar Whitley Stokes and his wife Mary Bazely. A precocious child, she collected and edited a collection of Indian fairy tales as a pre-teen which was privately published in Calcutta in 1879 and in London the following year. In spite of this auspicious start, Stokes seemingly never wrote another book. Her mother died while the family lived in India. In 1881, the remaining family moved to London where her father furthered his scholarship. She continued to live with her father and sisters until his death in 1909. The following year, she married engineer Ernest Boothby. Sadly, her husband was killed in action in 1916. Stokes continued to live in London until her death on 3 December 1961. She has some claim to being the youngest Victorian author of fiction.
References: 1939 Register; British Census (1871, 1901, 1911); Probate; Wikipedia
Fiction Titles:
- Indian Fairy Tales. 1 vol. London: Ellis and White, 1880.